Driving north from Wenatchee you see the magnitude of the recent fires. Miles of charred land on both sides of the highway. When you get to the small town of Pateros you see both the destruction of property and the valiant saves by firefigthers. Their course, Alta Lakes, lost the pro shop/living quarters and the maintenance building.
Leaving Brewster you jog right onto Wa17 and there is a big sign 1/2 mile up the road. Sun in the eyes, understated writing, dirt road, gravel road - was this foreshadowing?
Gamble Sands won't rate highest in Golf Digest, the resistance to scoring isn't there unless you step back a tee marker. That may not be a big problem because there is plenty of roll on the fairways. Kidd has borrowed the ribbon tee as they wind toward and enter the fairway.
The only step-down tee block I remember is on the par 3 6th.
Ah, the lost Callaway. Even par through the fourth I was waved through a foursome. They had a forecaddie ($100/fourball), I didn't.
After hitting a drive on the 5th, which is reminiscent of Bandon Trails' 11th - hit it long and left- I had about 120 over a bunker. Ugly, ugly, pick up. Follow the sign to the next tee and am flummoxed. Par four nowhere to be seen. Decide its a blind tee like #3, pipe one southbound,
look at the scorecard, see I forgot to score the fourth and fifth. Turned around, hit it to 15' on the northbound par 3, hurredly putt as the fourball is wating. Rush to play the 7th, great drive, don't realize it was a par 5, try to reach and card another max. Triple, double double.
Back to golf courses. I don't know if architects try to balance out greens because the course is going to be played with a front/middle/back hole rotation. The day I played holes were set in zone 3 (back location on the 1st) and the setup was easy, only one difficult pin, on 17.
It would be hard to get a good opinion unless you played all three zones.
The simplistic approach by Kidd got me in trouble. I tried to outthink him. You don't have to take chances. Wide fairway is just a wide fairway, you don't have to hit it to a specific section for a specific zone of the green. Most of the time you have an open green, sometimes a sideboard or backboard to help.
Greens are 45-70 yards deep, macro-contoured, stimp around 8.5 in my estimation. Could go as high as 11+ and not cause too much stress on the puttee.
It is 6 hrs by car from home, but I'd go back in a group situation as it was very enjoyable. It has an enormous vista and I think DMK did a very good job on scaling the course and hazards to its surroundings. Few uphill shots, mostly on the out half.
Looking through my yardage book -
#2 reachable par 4. Took it over the right edge of the center bunker. Hole high (zone 3 in front, 20 feet from the green, 40 feet from hole.
Eagle.
#3 Combination of Bandon Dunes 16 and Pacific Dunes 9th. Large horizon bunker, if you don't carry it will likely end up in an unraked footprint. Aim about 30 yds left of the right side stair and you'll be fine. Flight over midway bunker to set up approach angle.
#4 Biarritz green, the draw doesn't look deep until you look from the left side. I think the front portion is reverse cambered.
#5 Long and left and you'll have a view of the green. Otherwards you'll have a long roll to the right like Bandon Trails 11
#7 well placed bunker just short of landing area for lay up. Turbo off tee makes this reachable.
#8 play the left side, towards the green, opens up tons of options.
#9 backboard, but left backboard is deceivingly undersloped from fairway view. Still, use it for zone 3.
#11 challenge the center hazard, you'll have a wedge in
#12 challenge the bunker on the right side and you'll turbo home.
#14 best hole on course
#15 lots of left roll on the teeshot, play right
#16 backboard '
How would I rate this course. Need to play. Very fun. Maybe in my top 25, but definitely in my top 50. Probably tied for #2 public in Washington, probably in a tie with Wine Valley. That course has higher resistance to scoring, micro-contouring of greens, as well as macro-contouring. Far exceeds Desert Canyon. Of my recent courses comparable to Dismal-Doak. Restaurant was understaffed.
Far and away the best golf option for those vacationing near Chelan. I think this is their main market, and GS has stay and play packages here as well as one in Brewster (summer room rate about $170). I